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July 3, 2013
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Bonin spends first day in office outside City Hall By Gary Walker Walking in the shoes of a popular elected leader is never easy, so Los Angeles Councilman Mike Bonin is taking a similar path of a mentor, but in his own shoes, at the beginning of his career in elected office. Bonin, who officially took office July 1, replaced former Councilman Bill Rosendahl, arguably one of the Westside’s most popular and visible officeholders in recent years. Instead of spending his first day in office downtown, the new councilman trekked from one community to another in Council District 11 to eight different events on his first day in office. His first stop was assisting sanitation workers near his Mar Vista home collecting refuse containers. At his next stop, the new councilman donned a light green and orange vest, helped pour asphalt and filled in a portion of the street in the 600 block of Crestmoore Drive in Venice. Danny Leon, a metro region superintendent of the Bureau of Street Services, says Bonin received “hands on experience” by working side by side with Public Works employees as he helped repair the Venice street. “I think he’s doing fantastic,” Leon said as he watched the new councilman work. “He’s learning to appreciate that it’s not as easy as it looks.” Bonin had previously stated his intention of being a certain type of elected leader, a handson councilman “who gets things done for our neighborhoods.” “My first obligation and my top priority is to serve my district, and that will be the exclusive focus of my first day in office. I am excited to get to work and hit the ground running,” Bonin added. “There are several obligations to being a council member, but one of the most important is the delivery of city services, being in the neighborhoods and making sure that things are getting taken care of. And some of those basic things are picking up the trash, trimming the trees and filling the potholes.” Working alongside and having the opportunity to meet city workers also afforded Bonin the occasion to learn some of their difficulties, what they enjoy about their jobs and the chance to get an up close and personal look at work that few elected leaders get to see. “Not only is it a great way for me to learn about what the city employees are doing, but also to let them know that I honor and respect (Continued on page 10)
Mike Bonin takes the oath of office as the new Los Angeles city councilman representing District 11, alongside Councilman Paul Koretz (right).
A cautious victory
Westsiders celebrate Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage By Michael Aushenker West Hollywood was not the only local community celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court’s defeat of a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on June 26. That evening, spontaneous celebrations broke out all over Los Angeles, including the Westside. One such party took place at the Venice home of photographer Sunny Bak, where about 25 guests, mostly women of both lesbian and heterosexual persuasions, gathered on the fly to drink in the news, which, according to guests, ranged from very positive to cautiously promising. A few hours after the Supreme Court’s 5-4 verdict against DOMA came down, thus allowing for samesex marriages in California, Bak, a veteran artistic and commercial photographer, took to social media to improvise an early evening party. Most of Bak’s guests were from the Westside’s coastal communities. “I’m feeling good about the world right now!” said
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Sarah Allyn of Marina del Rey, who added that she and her boyfriend were thrilled about the verdict’s implications. In tandem with the court’s condemnation of the federal marriage law came a 5-4 rejection of an appeal by private sponsors of California’s Proposition 8, the ballot measure intended to define marriage as a contract between a man and a woman. The implication of these two measures being defeated suggested California would become the 13th state to legalize gay marriage. Of the 37 states forbidding samesex marriage, 29 have state constitutional measures defining marriage as between a man and a woman, which neither state judges nor lawmakers can easily transmute. Neighbor Carissa Tedesco dropped by Bak’s party, as did Theresa Holliday, a Marina del Rey-based caterer. Holliday wants to see her gay friends enjoy the same rights she does. Venice resident Doreen Donoghue, who characterized herself as the rebellious product of conservative parents (Continued on page 9)